


On the political ramifications of a marriage between a Jedi and a Senator

by Deviant_Accumulation



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: (since it's canon), Angst, Attachment does not equal love in this fic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Hurt!Obi-Wan, Hurt/Comfort, Id Fic, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker - Freeform, a millennial old organization can't possible continue existing while forbidding its members to love, all the reasons why padme+Anakin is a bad idea, author is very bitter(TM), conflict of interest is an actual thing here, it just aint feasible okay, separation of legislative and executive is also an actual thing here, without that bs code excuse that has somehow become fanon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-02-06 20:04:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12825072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deviant_Accumulation/pseuds/Deviant_Accumulation
Summary: This is Zorlian Vesq from Coruscant News, it is 8 AM Middle Eastern Coruscant Time, and here are the news of the day.In a shocking revelation, Nabooian priest Father Herriem has come forward stating that one year ago, he has officiated a marriage between Senator Padmé Amidala, former Queen of Naboo, known for playing a major part in the Liberation of Naboo, current Galactic Senate representative of Naboo and leader of the liberal south-up faction, and Knight Anakin Skywalker, Jedi General of the Republic Army. The picture of a marriage certificate has been released on the HoloNet. Neither the office of Senator Amidala nor the Speaker of the Jedi Order have been available for comment so far. Already factions standing in opposition to Amidala’s group have called for a re-vote on several bills...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The building blocks of this fic where laid years ago when I first watched Attack of the Clones and the famous Attachment is forbidden, Possession is forbidden scene, plus the Oh no we can't be together, because you're a Jedi and I'm a Senator, which to me back then made perfect sense in the way that neutrality is a major thing for Jedi, especially in regard to members of the Senate. Imagine my surprise when I started doing star wars fandom and saw that that was not how those scenes were interpreted by most other people at all.
> 
> So this is a fic I've been fantasizing about on and off for quite some time, and now I wrote it down.
> 
> For everyone who's waiting for the Offset Sequel, it's in the works (and nearing 20k), but sometimes a girl just has to rage-write (not that the offset sequel doesn't contain rage-writing, but if I do that like I want to there wouldn't be any more space for plot)
> 
> Slight warning: For anyone who thinks that Anakin is a cute duckling who can't do no wrong, this isn't the fic for you. I'm pretty biased towards the characters I like, and it shows.
> 
> Edit: okay, but seriously, I mean it. This is above all, a self-indulgent fic. My writing is somewhat based on thought-out headcanons, but a) those headcanons are different from at least 90% of fanon and b) you could probably still accuse me of character bashing, and it wouldn't even be unreasonable. So if Anakin is a character you like very much, dont read this fic. I don't like Anakin six days out of seven. And on the seventh I just wilfully close my eyes to what feels like 80% of canon. In my headcanon set there exist reasons for why I think that Anakin is kind of an asshole, but not everyone shares my opinions, and that's fine! Just don't read this fic then.

_\--- --- --- !!! Breaking News !!! --- --- ---_

_This is Zorlian Vesq from Coruscant News, it is 8 AM Middle Eastern Coruscant Time, and here are the news of the day._

_In a shocking revelation, Nabooian priest Father Herriem has come forward stating that one year ago he has officiated a marriage between Senator Padmé Amidala, former Queen of Naboo, known for playing a major part in the Liberation of Naboo, current Galactic Senate representative of Naboo and leader of the liberal south-up faction, and Knight Anakin Skywalker, Jedi General of the Republic Army. The picture of a marriage certificate has been released on the HoloNet. Neither the office of Senator Amidala nor the Speaker of the Jedi Order have been available for comment so far. Already factions standing in opposition to Amidala’s group have called for a re-vote on several bills, most prominently the Clone Assignation bill that had been passed last month, which allowed Jedi Generals to directly supervise Clone Soldiers without additional counsel from the Central Coruscant Military. Senator Tabbens, representative of Mian, from the conservative east-central faction has made allegations that Amidala’s decisions may have not been entirely her own since the marriage date, but that she may have been influenced by Knight Skywalker with the so-called Jedi mind trick. Other opposition members have levelled accusations that Amidala may have trying to influence the Jedi Order via Knight Skywalker, as Naboo has been seeing an increased amount of Jedi attention and service, with the most memorable occasion being the release of a biological weapon near the planet’s capital Theed three months ago, which had seen major involvement from the Jedi Order, including Council Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, also known as “The Negotiator”, a High Jedi General and current leader of the Open Circle Fleet._

_The Senate is scheduled to vote on another bill today, the Military Financial Revision Act, which had been set out to adjust the budget plan of the current legislature to allow for more money to be spent on the war effort. Peace organizations have been demonstrating against the bill for the past week. It is uncertain whether the newly revealed affair will cause enough factions to vote for a re-schedule._

Obi-Wan rolled over with a groan when his door chime interrupted his much deserved rest. He looked at the time on his comm – barely past 8 AM by Temple time. Sadly two weeks of extraplanetary siege had once again messed with his sleep schedule. Not that he had been getting all that much sleeping with the constant battle going on. The notification button was also blinking, but he didn’t have time for that right now.

His door chimed again, his visitor obviously very impatient. So he got up, and after remembering that he was only wearing a pair of sleep pants and nothing else grabbed the next available tunic that didn’t have blood on it.

He opened the door to see Mace standing in the hallway. His mouth was set in a thin line, his body language tense. Obi-Wan immediately straightened up from his tired slouch, knowing well that this expression meant bad news. In his hand he held out a data pad for Obi-Wan to take.

Obi-Wan took it, and nearly dropped it again when he saw the thick headline that filled half the screen. He rapidly read through the article, his grip on the pad turning more and more white-knuckled with every line.

“I take it you didn’t know then?” Mace asked once he had finished. Obi-Wan could only mutely shake his head. Mace sighed and finally herded Obi-Wan back into his room, closing the door behind them as Obi-Wan sank down onto the couch, eyes still glued to the pad as if that might change the words written there.

“Obi-Wan,” Mace said, causing him to tear his eyes away at last. “He’s not here, is he?”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “No, he’s-“ He carelessly dropped the pad on the table, the casing clattering against the wood, and rested his forehead against his hand. “He’s with _her_.” His padawan had snuck out almost as soon as they had arrived at their temple quarters. At the beginning of his relationship with Padmé, Obi-Wan had told him several times to be careful about being seen with the Senator, and with all the sneaking Anakin had been doing it seemed like he really had taken his advice to heart for once. And now it turned out that some paparazzi shooting a candid photo of them standing to close was the least of their problems. Then again, how in nine Sith hells should he have known that they would do something like marriage-!

“I see,” Mace said. Obi-Wan knew that his friend was trying to sound neutral, but the words still sounded like they were a sentence to death.

“Mace, I-“ But what was he supposed to say, really? Force, where had he gone wrong? Didn’t he tell Anakin time and time again that he needed to be careful with his relationship to Padmé, that he needed to remember the position they were all in?

“Obi-Wan,” Mace said again, sitting down next to him on the couch. Obi-Wan turned his head to see the other master looking at him with sympathy in his eyes. “You can’t blame yourself for this. Skywalker was old enough to make his own decisions.”

“He was still a padawan when he… did this!” Obi-Wan cried, only now realizing the implications of the date on the certificate. One hand came up to rub at his temple. “Is this even legal? He was still underage, for Force’s sake!” If he didn’t know Padmé, only for that he would have… but then, he never would have thought that the Padmé he considered his friend would do something this dangerous for seemingly no reason.

“By our laws he was, yes, but by Coruscant and Nabooian laws he was already of age,” Mace said. “It won’t matter to the media, or the Senate, that he couldn’t have given consent by Jedi law. They probably don’t even know about it.”

“But why would they do this? It doesn’t make any sense!” Obi-Wan exclaimed. “They had been around each other for what, one week? And then they suddenly decide to get married? Even disregarding the rule breaking, and Padmé knowing that her political career would be ruined, no one gets married after being in a relationship for a week at most!” He knew that the people of Naboo where pretty conservative when it came to the status of marriage in their society, with re-marrying being very rare as most people only took one partner for a life time. But Padmé had always been pretty liberal, and with how long she had been on Coruscant no one would have expected her to adhere this strictly to tradition.

“Obi-Wan, we need you to talk with them,” Mace said.

Obi-Wan looked at him, suddenly feeling tired. “And who is ‘we’?”

Mace sighed. “The council.”

“So you already kicked me out then?” Obi-Wan said with a humourless laugh.

“You are currently suspended,” Mace tried to calm him down. “No one really believes that you knew of this, but we also can’t just let it slide.”

“I know,” Obi-Wan said. “I’m not- I would have done the same in your stead I suppose.”

“Obi-Wan, he was still your padawan, yes, but he was also already a senior padawan, on a solo mission, and already preparing for his trials. He should have been well able to make his own decisions. No one is blaming you for this.”

Obi-Wan looked away. “And what would you have me say to them?” he finally asked. “I can’t see any way how to unfuck this situation.”

“Well, since Skywalker was a padawan, there is the possibility to try to lay all the blame to Senator Amidala’s feet,” Mace began.

“But then we’d lose one of the staunchest supporters we currently have in the Senate,” Obi-Wan finished. “But you also can’t demote Anakin because he has become part of the Republic’s publicity duo.”

“First we want to find out what their reason behind all this was,” Mace said. “We can’t get to work until we have all the cards on the table.”

“Send a summon to Anakin then,” Obi-Wan said. To know that Anakin would go behind his back like this, that he would keep such a big secret from him… all the trust he thought they had built between them in the years they had spent first as Master and Padawan, then as duo in the war – gone.

“We already tried,” Mace said. “He isn’t answering.”

Obi-Wan sighed, the heavy blanket of weariness on his shoulders pressing down even more on him. “He probably thinks you are going to throw him out of the Order.”

“He did break the rule of attachment,” Mace said. “It wouldn’t have been a problem had he been simply in a relationship, but binding himself legally to someone, let alone a Senator… it is a heavy offense, yes. But banishing someone for it? That requires a completely different level of crime.”

“Would Anakin really see it as that grave a punishment?” Obi-Wan said bitterly, folding his hands in his lap. “I wonder if he ever really saw us as family, when he seems to have no problem with binding himself to someone else.”

“Talk to them,” Mace said. “It won’t do well to speculate. And you are the only one of us who can hope to get a decent answer out of them.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry; there was so much anger and frustration and grief inside him, feeling like a maelstrom was raging in his chest, tearing at his insides. But there was no time for him to wait for it to settle down, to meditate on his feelings and try to come to terms with the betrayal and broken trust he was experiencing.

“Alright,” he finally said, standing up from the couch, trying to fortify his heart in preparation of what was going to happen. “I’ll go.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember what I said before about Anakin not being an innocent lamb in this? Yeah. (Anakin and Padmé don't actually act like this without reason, but many of their "reasons" can be summed up by being selfish and inconsiderate of everyone else around them. Not all of them though, don't slaughter me yet)

_“Hello everyone, this is Brunch with Brennette and Bernard. It’s probably obvious, but for all of you going behind Central Time and who may have just woken up, our topic of the day is the salacious marriage of one Senator Amidala to Jedi Skywalker, which has been made public overnight. Let’s get right into it. Brennette, thoughts?”_

_“First of all, I suppose we should applaud Senator Amidala for taste. I mean, a Jedi? You take a look at them and one is more handsome than the next, with that kind of job you can just imagine what’s hiding under all those robes.”_

_“Yeah, that’s definitely true.”_

_“Now, back to solid ground, if this were just them getting caught being intimate in one way or the other, my only questions to Miss, or Misses now, Amidala would be whether she has any tips on where to get me some of that, but unfortunately this is far more serious.”_

_“I definitely agree with you there, Brennette. To be honest, my first thought was that Amidala might have gotten pregnant and decided to carry out the term, in which case Nabooian tradition would have demanded they marry for the child’s sake, but with how long it has been since the marriage date I think we can safely say that option is out of the window.”_

_“There has already been much talk about whether or not Amidala may have been trying to influence the Jedi Order via her marriage.”_

_“Usually I would have said that something like that would be beneath her, not to mention how much it would go against Nabooian morals about marriage, but then the upheaval of the war has already shown us some of the more nasty sides of the Galactic Senate, so can we really disregard that option so easily?”_

_“You know Bernard, I’ve already seen people reject that idea with the reason that she’s such an upstanding Galactic citizen. But if we take the rose-tinted glasses off, I’d say that I would think she’d do it, but in that case I also think that she’d be smart enough to choose someone who has more sway in the Order. To the public Skywalker may seem like an important figure as he was involved in many prominent battles, but when it comes to rank he’s simply a Knight.”_

_“He does however stand in close connection to Master Kenobi, who has a chair on the Jedi Council.”_

_“Oh, devious! That would certainly be something worthy to be called sleeping your way to the top.”_

_“It does seem a bit risky though, doesn’t it? Amidala is known for bold moves, but something like this having an advantageous outcome for her doesn’t seem too likely.”_

_“I tell you what, maybe we’re thinking the wrong way ‘round. Skywalker may not have much influence, but as someone with a highly active position, he is privy to a lot of information. Knowing the actual, unsweetened situation of current campaigns is a good way to make sure you are in the right position to make the most of a loss or a victory.”_

_“Why, Brennette, that idea does have a lot of merit. Especially someone driving bills that go contra war effort, as strongly as Amidala is, certainly profits from not accidentally timing a push with a new Separatist invasion.”_

_“Who knew someone with a public image that righteous could be so ruthless? Anyway, that is all the time we have today, keep watching to see the newest episode of “_ Me, my mom and my stepmom from Iago _”, Bernard and I will be back at 9 AM Middle Eastern Coruscant Time tomorrow!”_

 

 

The Republic 500 building was towering before him. Already a mass of reporters had flocked before the building, even as the clones that had been dispatched as Senate security were doing their best to fend them off. Luckily Jedi vehicles were cleared for the airspace around the building, so Obi-Wan didn’t have to squeeze through the masses and risk being discovered. That would just be what they needed at this moment. Forget the battle fields of the Outer Rim, he’d get ripped to shreds in a matter of seconds.

In the distance he could see the billboards he had flown past, many of them sporting the sensationalist headlines of the day, and all of them reminding him over and over again of what had happened, each time feeling like a thin razor-blade cutting into his heart.

He landed the Temple speeder in one of the reserved lay-bys, and made his way into the building. His cowl up, he used the Force to project an aura of See-Me-Not around him, not wanting to get recognized by any overly curious Senate aides.

Finally he arrived at Amidala’s suite. His finger hovered over the chime, before drawing back to adjust his tunics, comb a few stray hairs back, brush a few specks of imaginary dust off his tabards… anything in an attempt to stall the inevitable. But by the Force, he really wished he’d have time for some meditation… or at least some actual sleep that would leave him running on more than just fumes.

He pressed the doorbell before he could retreat again, then waited anxiously until the door opened to reveal C3-PO.

“Master Kenobi!” the droid greeted him, but made no motion to step aside. “We weren’t expecting you! I’m afraid the Senator is pre-occupied at the moment, maybe you could-“

Before the droid could continue to further test Obi-Wan’s thin patience, a feminine voice from inside called.

“Just let him in already!”

“Oh,” the droid said. “Well, if the Lady says so, I suppose we should…” The droid gave the way free, and Obi-Wan walked inside.

The suite seemed just as tidy as always, but in the Force the air felt charged with emotional tension, like the atmosphere before a thunderstorm.

“Master Kenobi,” the same voice said, and Padmé Amidala walked in, dressed in a gown made from blue-green shimmering velvet. Also, really? Master Kenobi? That was how she was going to play this? Obi-Wan tried to not feel hurt, and failed miserably.

“Padmé,” he said, deliberately foregoing the formality she had been using. “Is Anakin going to come out too?” he added, unable to keep a cool tone from slipping into his voice.

“Yes,” he heard Anakin’s voice, and he turned to see his former padawan stepping out of the adjourning bedroom, dressed in a dark silk robe. His heart clenched at how obviously he well fit in with the rest of the rooms, so unlike his Jedi robes or his armour. He tried his best to shove the emotion down, knowing that he needed to keep his calm for the upcoming talk. Meanwhile Padmé was glaring daggers at her boyfriend- at her husband, making it obvious that this wasn’t what she had planned. But then did she really think that he wouldn’t know that Anakin was here?

“Did the Council send you?” Anakin asked, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed.

“As a matter of fact, they did,” Obi-Wan retorted, then wanted to bite his own tongue. Getting confrontational never helped with Anakin, who only grew more aggressive when he felt threatened.

Anakin snorted derisively. “Of course.” And wow, okay, that… hurt. More than he had expected.

He swallowed it down, like so many times before. “How about we sit down?”

They both looked like they wanted to refuse, but at least Padmé had been raised to be polite – actually Anakin had been too, but Obi-Wan tried to not think about that – and offered him a place in one of the chairs, while she sat down on the couch. A moment later, Anakin sat down next to her, close enough that they were touching, an obvious challenge in his eyes. A low table stood between them, but they might as well have been sitting in opposing trenches, the distance between them seemingly insurmountable.

“Padmé,” Obi-Wan said when it became clear that neither of the couple were going to speak, “if I may ask, what are your official plans? How do you plan to publicly react to the accusations?”

“Accusations?” Anakin scoffed. “Being in love isn’t _illegal_ , according to _Galactic_ Law at least.”

“…yes, it isn’t, I suppose,” Obi-Wan said slowly, trying not to frown. Whatever in nine Sith hells was Anakin playing at now? And maybe being in love wasn’t a crime, but in this moment Obi-Wan thought that acting stupid because of being in love should be one.

“I do not plan to deny that I love Anakin,” Padmé said stiffly.

Well, yes, Obi-Wan hadn’t really expected her to. Hoped, maybe. It certainly would have made things easier, in some ways at least. But then someone like Padmé Amidala probably despised the idea of lying to her constituents, even when it was about a private matter that was none of their business. Besides, the Senate didn’t have that much levity when it came to faith from the public, so people believing the tabloids over an official statement was a serious risk.

“I understand,” he said, trying not to sigh.

“Really?” Anakin mumbled under his breath. This time Obi-Wan couldn’t keep himself from sending a hurt glance at Anakin, although his former padawan wasn’t even looking at him, instead sitting with his eyes fixed on one of the huge windows, arms crossed before his chest.

All Obi-Wan really wanted to do was to leave, go back to his home which he hadn’t seen in months, and lie down to sleep in the hopes that when he woke up none of this had happened.

“So, do you plan on releasing an official statement declaring neutrality and independence towards the Order? Or are you going to draw a veil of silence around the affair?”

Anakin abruptly stood up, effectively stopping Padmé from even trying to respond. “And do you plan to stop pretending that you here because of her, and not because of me?” he said, mocking Obi-Wan’s words.

“I’m here for both of you,” Obi-Wan said, his voice painfully neutral.

“Yeah right,” Anakin said. “It definitely has nothing to do with the Council trying to break my com unit.”

“The Council wants to know what your motivations were so they can compose a plan of action,” Obi-Wan said. “And it would be best if they could coordinate with Padmé’s office.”

“I think the Council just wants to punish me for loving and marrying Padmé!” Anakin shot back, his voice getting louder with every word.

Obi-Wan tried not to flinch. Even though he had been trying not to, there still had been a sliver of hope he had been holding onto that this whole marriage mess turned out to be fake.

“You did commit a transgression against one of the Order’s rules,” Obi-Wan said evenly.

“Well, maybe the rules of the Order are wrong!”

“The rules are there for a reason, surely you can see that, Anakin-“

“No, I can not! There can’t be a good reason why there should be a rule that forbids Jedi from feeling love!”

“Of course Jedi can and should feel love!” Obi-Wan couldn’t help himself from crying out loud.

“But only ever as much as the Council allows, right, Mister Perfect Jedi?” Anakin sneered coldly.

Obi-Wan froze. He had been a bit more distant ever since he got his new position due to the added hours, but surely Anakin didn’t mean it like that…?

“Obi-Wan,” Padmé said, releasing him out of his stupor. “Can’t you as a Council Member put in a good word for us?”

Obi-Wan stared at her, uncomprehending. She couldn’t seriously…? After lying to him for a whole year, Padmé and Anakin surely wouldn’t be so selfishly contumelious? “No,” he said slowly. “I can’t.”

“Told you so,” Anakin said to Padmé, and that was it. Obi-Wan rose in a fluid motion and turned around. Only years of training made his run to the door into a graceful brisk walk that didn’t have him stumbling over whatever stood on the direct line between him and the exit.

Before the door he turned around, the mask of the Negotiator firmly in place.

“Senator Amidala, I cannot put in a vote of confidence for you, as I have been suspended from the Council,” he said, his voice sounding far away to him. “Knight Skywalker, please answer your summons as soon as possible. I wish you both a good day.”

The door swished shut behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

hqtp://gww.truthfinders.crc/truths/tjto/46/

 

> **The Jedi Takeover, Part XLVI: The Truth is out**  
>    
>  _uploaded 1 hour and 37 minutes ago, 103 841 207 195 hits_
> 
> For years I’ve been talking about the truth, and even though I know that out there are true believers, who don’t fall for the convenient lies of the hidden Jedi Archon that tries to manipulate us, too many still turn a blind eye, choosing to follow the masses like dumb srawools.
> 
> Not anymore. Now even the most naïve of these so called ‘fact-checkers’ has to realise what we, my dear readers, have seen all along: that the Jedi have infiltrated our entire system, that they have systematically installed puppets in high positions, and disposed of anyone who dared to speak against them.
> 
> Now is the time to rise up, my brethren in spirit! The Jedi are cunning, and their dirty fingers reach deep, but there are still politicians out there we can trust to help us! My avid readers know about how the Clone War is an artificially by the Jedi generated conflict to amass more power (for those of you who are new, read my blog entries The Geonosis Hoax and The True Purpose of the Clone Army), but this, this is the real war that has been going on, us against the Jedi and their blind srawool masses! We need to act now, and capitalize on this brief moment where the blindfolds have been removed.
> 
> Take to the lanes now, and show them what we are made of!

 

Previous entry:  
The Jedi Takeover, Part XLV: 20 holo-pics that prove that Yan Dooku is actually a mech-suit piloted by Jedi Yoda

You may also be interested in:  
How the Jedi are trying to control our minds via the artificial weather system, and how to build a flimsteel hat

 

 

 

Obi-Wan mechanically climbed out of his speeder and staggered out of the hangar. He somehow made it the whole way to his room without being approached by anybody, even when he felt like every Jedi he passed was staring at him with accusing eyes whenever he wasn’t looking.

Of course that would have been too much of a good thing in his life, so in return Ahsoka was waiting for him in front of his door, looking anxious as she gnawed on her lip (bad habit, dangerous in combat, someone had to train her out of it, he’d have to talk to- ah, nevermind).

“Master Obi-Wan!” she said when she saw him, for some unfathomable reason sounding relieved.

“Hello Ahsoka,” Obi-Wan greeted her, managing to muster a small smile for his grandpadawan.

“Master Obi-Wan, do you know where Skyg- I mean, Master Anakin is? I can’t seem to reach him, and there’s all this… stuff on the news…”

Obi-Wan suppressed a sigh. “Anakin is at the Republic 500 with Padmé,” he said. Maybe he shouldn’t be giving her this information, but if there was someone who deserved to know what was going on, it was Anakin’s padawan.

“Oh,” Ahsoka said, her head bowing as she looked away from Obi-Wan and to the floor. “So… it’s true then? What they say?”

“Anakin and Padmé are married, yes,” Obi-Wan said, the words tasting like ash in his mouth.

“Will they throw him out of the Order?” Ahsoka asked.

“No.” At least of that Obi-Wan was sure. Some of the tension bled out of Ahsoka’s shoulders, but she was still far from relaxed.

“Will… he be able to continue being my master?”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. He had hoped she wouldn’t ask him that question.

“I don’t know,” he said finally.

“I see,” Ahsoka said, trying for calm even as one of her hands was fidgeting with the hem of her tunic. He could feel her uncertainty and fear in the Force. It was awfully familiar, and suddenly he was transported decades back, a youngling standing where she was standing, seeing his future in the Order slipping away.

Taking heart, Obi-Wan knelt down before her so that they could see eye-to-eye. “Ahsoka,” he said gently, causing her eyes to re-focus on him. “I can’t promise you that Anakin can stay as your master. But for as long as you want to, I promise you that I will do everything I can so that you continue your path as Jedi. Even if it means taking you as my own padawan.”

Ahsoka swallowed thickly, then nodded. “Thank you, Master Obi-Wan,” she said quietly.

“Come here,” he said, opening his arms, and Ahsoka readily followed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“It’ll be okay,” he told her when they broke apart, and she nodded at him, familiar determination back in place, before she walked away.

Obi-Wan entered his own quarters, the calm façade he had put up for Ahsoka’s sake crumbling to pieces the moment the door closed behind him.

He felt so tired, the kind that was usually reserved for the end of months-long campaigns. It seeped deep into his bones, similar to long stays on ice planets, when the cold penetrated each and every layer one tried to put up and crept its way from the skin and fingers and toes and arms and legs to one’s very core, until you couldn’t even remember what feeling warm was like. Obi-Wan had long forgotten what being well-rested and not stressed out was like. When he had last gotten a full eight hours of sleep because he could, and not because he was knocked out in the healer’s ward. How to not feel constantly behind the curve, always trying to catch up with the ever turning tide of the war and yet never quite managing to. Even breaks between campaigns didn’t feel like a pause, but merely the prelude to the next battle, him and every vod’e on the ship waiting for the next mission, because the next mission would come, always.

Yet even now, during long-awaited downtime, the prospect of sleeping was utterly repulsive to him. There were too many thoughts whirling around his mind, and it was all he could do to not focus on them, lest he wanted to break down against the door.

Still, failed spectacularly he might have, but he’d still have to inform the Council about it. His fingers felt cold when he fished out his comm unit, typing, and sometimes re-typing, a message where he tried his best to summarize the train wreck that had happened as succinctly as possible. All the while pretending that this was just another mission report, or, even better, something that had happened to someone else.

He didn’t read it through again when he was finished, just pressed the send button.

Needing something, anything, to do, he listlessly wandered through his rooms, before his eyes settled on one of the tunics haphazardly laid out next to his bed. Unlike so many others it hadn’t been burned by blaster bolts, but there was a long tear in the back over where his shoulder blade would be, where the knife of a would-be assassin had carved its way through the fabric.

Nothing for formal wear, but underneath the armor nobody would notice. He retrieved his sewing kit and got to work.

 Stitch, tug, stitch, tug. He did his best to lose himself in the monotone work. Needle goes through the fabric, don’t think about Anakin, tug on the thread, don’t think about what happened don’t don’t, needle goes through again.

A chime came from the door, and he looked at the clock to see that he had passed 20 minutes like that.

“Come in,” he said without looking up, easily recognizing Mace by his Force signature. Sure enough the door opened and closed, and footsteps approached his perch on the couch.

“We got your report,” Mace’s deep, rumbling voice said. “I just wanted to tell you that in regards to public appearances, the Council has decided to continue to withhold comment, and we’re now going to be waiting on what statement Amidala’s office will make.”

Obi-Wan’s stitching grew just the slightest bit more forceful with Mace’s words, but otherwise he didn’t deviate in his movement.

“That’s nice,” he finally said when the silence stretched to awkward lengths.

“Obi-Wan, there’s blood on your fingers,” Mace said, and he could practically hear the frown.

“It’s nothing, just from the needle point. I tend to be less careful when I’m stressed.”

“Don’t you want to at least put a band-aid on it?”

A hand appeared in his peripheral vision, and the next moment Obi-Wan’s Force presence turned from a warm aura to the equivalent of a spherical thistle.

“Not now, Mace,” he said, his words pleasant enough but underneath them the razor-thin edge of sharpened durasteel.

“Coping behavior shouldn’t be harmful,” Mace said, but the hand had retreated at least.

“And tearing your muscles while slaughtering innocent training bots is different how, exactly?”

He could hear Mace’ quiet sigh behind him, and he finally turned around.

“You know very well that it’s just the same,” Obi-Wan said. “It’s just more widely accepted.”

He tore his eyes away from (tired, stressed, definitely not bearing good news then) Mace and went to pack away his sewing kit.

“What did the Council say about Anakin then?” he finally asked after he couldn’t find anything else to keep up the pretense of being busy. Still, his eyes remained fixed on the shelf – no need to have Mace see his barely-keeping-together mask.

“Internally, Anakin Skywalker has his Knight privileges temporarily revoked, as well as been forbidden from leaving the planet until further notice. Externally, we are still withholding the announcement and waiting for Amidala’s first move.”

“You don’t think it will be enough,” Obi-Wan said, trying to swallow past his knee-jerk reaction of defending Anakin.

“Some are optimistic,” Mace said. “Yoda- well, you know how he can be. He’s setting his gundark on time healing all wounds, once again. It seems logical to him, but I don’t think anyone under hundred years age will be leaving this behind them until there have been consequences.”

“The public will be out for blood, and we are out of stock for a scapegoat,” Obi-Wan said, laughing humourlessly. “For once even the Separatists aren’t to blame.”

“For now we’ll have to wait and see,” Mace said, pacifying. “Taking the initiative and reacting to the accusations against the Order as a whole may very well backfire on us with so many possibilities still open.”

Obi-Wan turned to see Mace looking straight at him, and even past the worn look in his eyes, there was still that rock-steady core in him that Obi-Wan had always envied so much. In his long time of knowing Mace, and now even more in his shorter time of also being a Co-Councillor, he had seen the wear and tear dragging at the other Jedi, everywhere in sight only problems and no solutions, and yet Mace still managed to stand tall.

Anakin always accused Mace of being unfeeling, but then his former padawan always did his best to avoid the Councillor when he was off-duty, so Obi-Wan could honestly only shake his head at the rather prejudiced sentiment. Emotions had no place as long as one was sitting in a Council seat where they had to make decisions that, if wrong, could cost one of their own their life.

But now that his duty was done, Master Windu the Councillor disappeared, and in his place only Mace stood.

“Would you like me to stay, or should I go?” Mace asked, not doing him the disservice of asking the pointless Are you fine question, but worry over Obi-Wan still clear in his eyes.

Obi-Wan took his time to weigh both options, before shaking his head.

“I think I would like some time to myself for now,” he said.

“Alright,” Mace said, an encouraging almost-smile on his face.

“I will tell you if anything happens,” Obi-Wan hastily assured him. Mace shook his head, the smile coming to a full bloom.

“Obi-Wan, I trust you to know what is best for you,” he said.

Obi-Wan nodded, and waited until Mace had left before he sighed. Anakin always got suspicious whenever Obi-Wan went to meditate instead of talking with him, recently alternating between accusing Obi-Wan of bottling things up or of keeping secrets from Anakin. Obi-Wan had never quite understood where he was coming from – meditation was nothing but dealing with one’s feelings, and just because in most cases he didn’t talk about it to anyone else whenever something happened, didn’t mean that he wasn’t working through it. Being a Jedi could be very taxing emotionally, if he really had been bottling up his feelings whenever something traumatizing happened he would have had a nervous breakdown over a decade ago.

And keeping secrets from Anakin… even though he (had?) considered the other man a dear friend, it didn’t mean that he had to share everything with him. The usually exasperated trail of thought turned bitter when he remembered just how little it had bothered Anakin to keep a secret that directly involved Obi-Wan – and all Jedi for that matter.

He wanted to sleep, physical tiredness beginning to be impacted by emotional tiredness. But he knew that going to sleep now with all the undealt worries flitting through his mind wouldn’t make for a good rest, so he got out his meditation mat and settled next to the bed in the traditional cross-legged pose.

It hurt to think about the talk he had had with Padmé and Anakin, but he forced himself through it nonetheless, trying to see where it went wrong. His first reaction was that he should have approached them on a less personal level, which might have resulted on them being less defensive if they didn’t feel attacked personally. But then Anakin never reacted well to that.

Not walking out would have been good, but Force knows he hadn’t been in any state to calm them down. Not with what his heart perceived to be betrayal still a freely bleeding wound. Maybe-

He was torn out of his meditation by the shrill of the com unit. He had put it into silent mode before he started meditating, but there were certain call signatures that got an immediate pass. And none of them would be calling just to ask how he was doing.

With dread he reached for the com unit, his grip tightening further when he saw just who it was that was calling.

He pressed ‘accept’, and the com unit projected a small hologram into the air.

“Hello, Minister,” he said, trying put up a polite façade.

The small hologram of the minister didn’t appear to be trying the same thing. One of her two arm pairs was crossed in front of her chest, the three furry tails behind her unnaturally still. Obi-Wan recognized her as a politician on the planet his last campaign had been on (and around), but they had only met in passing.

“Master Kenobi,” she said, “We have been made aware of certain… stories that are circulating in the media. I will assume that you know which one I am talking about.” Not waiting for Obi-Wan’s nod, she continued: “The cabinet has been rather worried about the implications. So before taking action, we would like to know whether you are confirming or denying what has been published about Jedi Skywalker and Senator Amidala.”

The pressure he had been trying to lessen with his meditation returned tenfold.

“My apologies, but at the moment I am not authorized to confirm or deny anything concerning Jedi Skywalker,” he said, the standard phrase like lead in his mouth.

The minister’s other arm pair crossed too. “I am disappointed, but not surprised,” she said. “Master Jedi, the people of Yfarr are grateful for what you have done for them. However, the bill from two months ago to secede from the Republic has already been put on the floor again, and I expect that unlike last time, the independence faction will get the last two votes for their three-fourths majority. Good day.”

The hologram winked out, and Obi-Wan sat back onto the bed, his eyes closing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to put this up for christmas, but alas, I'm late as usual. So, merry belated christmas! Enjoy your not-very-festive dose of more angst.  
> Also sorry to everyone who commented and now got their replies super late, I didn't have internet at home for the last month (still don't, am just somewhere else for christmas), and a thesis to finish (all done now luckily), so I only got around to it now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha whoops has it really been this long since I last uploaded a chapter...
> 
> I'm afraid I can't really make any promises when (or even if, sorry) there will be a next chapter. I've been having a bit of trouble with writing regularly these past few months, and this chapter had mostly been written back in January this year, I only just now managed to finish the media segment
> 
> Anyway, I hope you'll still enjoy it!

_This is Enne Xill, with me today are Vrjm Gi, Professor for Political Science at the Rochare University of Coruscant, Fallon Boerdar, Head Editor for the South-Coruscant newspaper, and Herm Vlen, former advisor of former Chancellor Valorum._

_Six hours ago the blogsite Chommel Tomorrow released the marriage certificate of Senator Amidala and Jedi General Skywalker. Experts agree that the document appears to be legitimate, and so far we have not heard a denial from the Nabooian Senator or the Jedi Order._

_“Mx Vlen, what are your predictions for the political consequences?”_

_“We’ll see a certain turn-over of bills, I am sure. Amidala and her faction are good when it comes to quick reaction, but with the size of this scandal, a fair amount of legislation will slip through their fingers, there is just no way around that.”_

_“Miss Boerdar, would you agree with this assessment?”_

_“Yes, although I think Mx Vlen overestimates the unity of the faction. As her faction colleagues are bound to be just as surprised by the revelation as everyone else is, it may cause due dissident, and the in-party fighting will weaken the faction’s voting power.”_

_“Professor Gi, is there anything you would add?”_

_“Personally I am less interested in the pathway of the South-Up – while they have prominent members like Alderaan and Chandrila, I do not think that this will affect the political field too much in the long run. In the worst case for the South-Up they would do a change of leadership, with the position falling to either Organa or Mothma, but something like that takes weeks, if not months. For now I find myself more invested in how this affects the Jedi Order’s standing in the Senate and the Military.”_

_“Doesn’t the Jedi Order only have limited political privileges?”_

_“Yes, as part of the Judicial arm they can of course not directly act in the political playfield. They do have moderate veto powers, thought that veto can be overruled in case of 90% of the Senate voting to dismiss the interference. But most of their influence comes with their advisory function, and their judgement carries a lot of weight for nearly all of the factions. It’s something that isn’t directly written down in our law system, but ignoring the advice of the Jedi Order has been viewed as a rather foolish thing to do. Though in recent years that connection between Order and Senate has gotten rather fragile.”_

_“So you would say the war has made the Senate doubt the word of the Order?”_

_“It certainly hasn’t made things better, but we’ve already seen the start of that way before the Battle of Geonosis. If one recalls the Blockade of Naboo twelve years ago, the word of two Jedi had been dismissed on behest of the motion from the Trade Federation, which in hindsight had been a nearly fatal mistake for the Naboo people. Yet even that blunder hadn’t caused the Senate to re-examine who they prefer to listen to, which to this day appears to be the one who shouts the loudest.”_

_“Thank you for sharing your view Professor Gi, maybe now Mx Vlen may- Oh? One moment please, I- …oh, indeed? …yes. Dear listeners, news have reached us that the Senate’s agenda for today has been pushed back in light of the recent developments. Chancellor Palpatine has instead scheduled a re-vote of the Clone Assignation bill for tomorrow morning, allowing the Senators additional time for delibitation today. We will be going on a short break, and return with an adjusted topic in ten minutes.”_

 

Bail clasped his hands over his head and prayed to the spirits of his great-great-ancestors. Instead of all his problems (and his headache) disappearing, only his secretary Sachuez came in and brought a cup of steaming, strong tea. He mumbled a thank you into his expensive pad, then dragged the cup closer once the door had swished shut.

He admired and respected Padmé, he really did. She had started out incredibly young – 13 year old children may have been of age on Naboo, but they decidedly were _not_ on Alderaan – and still weathered one of the biggest crisis her home planet had faced, with success and minimal casualties. As fellow Senator she had proven herself to be steadfast and determined, to act decidedly even under immense pressure and to stand uncompromisingly for her ideals. Of course especially the last one could be also seen as a negative side. Idealism was nice and well, but many of Padmé proposed bills tended to be too radical to make it through the voting system of their own faction, let alone through the Senate. Democracies lived on compromises, and knowing when to take a stand for one’s beliefs was a good and admirable thing, but it was just as important to know when one had to take a step back.

Bail had always thought that that degree of stubbornness was a result of Padmé’s younger years, that the wisdom to better learn to pick her battles would come with age, and that until then having someone with more polarized views as faction leader in these uncertain times could be a good thing to get some lazy bums off their seats now and then.

And now all that was coming back to bite him into his own bum, in a way so unexpected, not-called and not- _planned_ for, it made him want to rip his own hair out (maybe only the grey ones though).

What in the name of all that was holy had Padmé been _thinking_?

On Alderaan, marriage was a lot less the tight, exclusive, and above all, eternal bond the Naboo viewed it as. It was meant as a declaration of partnership, without any limits on what kind of partnership exactly. Of course the romantic and sexual way was often represented, but marriage could also be a strictly platonic, strong friendship. Or a strong partnership in regards to job or common life goals. Breha and he were a prime example of the latter one, their marriage a declaration of political support and of the intent to work together for the betterment of Alderaan, even when it had over time taken on a romantic and sexual aspect as well. Marriages with multiple people were common, and marrying had much less fanfare and procedure than the Naboo with their day-long feasts and weeks (weeks!) of the couple spending time exclusively with each other – it was honestly a bit weird a concept for Bail, but then that was the way of cultural differences he supposed. Divorcing was much more common as well, pretty much always decided mutually, and it did not mean that divorcees suddenly couldn’t stand the sight of each other.

Of course that also meant way less legal implications, completely in contrast to the Naboo, where wedded partners couldn’t even be made to testify against each other and had complete power in case of medical emergencies or death of the partner.

Bail simply didn’t get it. And Padmé was certainly taking her time with showing a reaction to the news. He really hoped that whatever she was preparing was good, because otherwise she could wave her seat as fraction leader goodbye. Bail may not have been first seat, but as Senator of Alderaan he was still pivotal enough that it was him the other Senators were now turning to, which sadly also meant bombarding him with all kinds of questions. Padmé’s radicalness was turning against them, her outspokenness about more independence and power to the Order (which Bail had been supporting, because they had needed a counterweight to Palpatine’s increasingly authoritarian leadership) now critically viewed by everyone.

He had had his reservations about voting for Padmé as faction leader two years ago of course. Their fraction had been split back then, between Padmé and him, and if he had wanted to it would have been easy to turn the tide in his favor, citing his greater experience. Young leaders may have been common on Naboo, but in the Galactic Senate the average age was a lot higher than Padmé’s young years.

But the Chancellor had always seemed to have a soft spot for Padmé. Blame their shared heritage, or her help in his rise to the position (even though Bail still viewed it as little more than manipulation of a young girl by Palpatine’s hands, but no one had asked for his opinion about that). Two years ago when the Chancellor had seemed more and more unreachable, electing Padmé to her current position had seemed like a good move to get him to listen more to the voices in the Senate.

In the end it didn’t really work out for them. A few months later the war had broken out and no matter how much they all pushed against it, more and more emergency powers were granted to Palpatine. Of course the Chancellor himself would argue that it would be members of the Senate that pushed for these powers, but all their proposals to cut down on already granted powers never really made it to the floor for one or another reason. Very convenient. But for once not his number one problem.

Now all that naïve thinking was the reason why Bail had to drain his tea in one go, and make his way out of his office and towards Padmé’s suite. He passed a few fellow senators in the hallways, earning curious looks and quiet whispers behind his back, but no one actually pestering him for questions. Yet. Knowledge was power after all, and propriety and discretion easily pushed aside when it came to gaining an advantage over another faction.

One chime, and the door to Padmé’s quarters opened, the sight of C3-PO greeting him.

“Master Bail!” the droid exclaimed. “Today certainly seems the day for surprise visitors. I’m afraid right now might not be the best moment, could you possibly return later? Miss Padmé may be free at-”

“I’m afraid I cannot, C3-PO,” Bail smoothly steamrolled the poor droid. He slipped past the droid’s clumsy limbs, and into the apartment.

Padmé and Anakin were already in the antechamber, both turning to look at him when he entered. Bail wasn’t a Jedi, but he could still feel the emotionally charged atmosphere in the room. The Senator suites were soundproof, but he was fairly sure he had just interrupted a heated argument with his visit. Stress lines were already forming on Padmé’s face, which – to Bail’s shame – he found somewhat relieving, as it meant that she seemed to be grasping the seriousness of the situation. Skywalker was simply glowering, but Bail was fairly sure that he had been already doing that before he came in so he wasn’t overly bothered by it.

“Bail,” Padmé greeted him, sounding somewhat strained. “Could you perhaps come back a bit later? We were having a discussion.”

Bail opened his mouth to say a polite equivalent to the effects of ‘I really don’t care right now’, but was interrupted by Skywalker.

“Actually, I think we are about finished with this,” he said snappily.

“Actually, we are most definitely not,” Padmé said, turning towards Skywalker with narrowed eyes.

Skywalker threw his hands up. “What more is there to discuss!? I told you that it’s just a ploy – the Council sent him with this just so we’d get in line! They are always like this!”

“Still, I don’t think-“ Padmé stopped for a moment, glancing at Bail. “…that we should be talking about this _when we have a guest_.”

Said guest’s cogs were whirring in his brain as he tried to figure out whom they were talking about. He sadly had a not-so-good-feeling on who would most likely be sent to deal with Skywalker though.

“Padmé, could you maybe continue this matter later? I really think we should talk about the newest developments.”

“Yes, fine,” Padmé finally sighed.

“Thank you,” Bail said with an inclination of his head. He glanced briefly at Skywalker out of the corner of his eye, in the hopes that the man would find it in himself to leave them to it. Sadly that didn’t seem to be the case. “Due to the sensitivity of the matter I think it would be best to discuss this privately.”

Skywalker was moving as much as a rock.

“Of course,” Padmé said.

Skywalker was still not leaving the room, and one of Bail’s eyebrows began to twitch.

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Bail finally looked directly at Skywalker, as all subtle proddings to _leave the ancestors-forsaken room already_ seemed to fly over his head.

“Some privacy, please?” Bail said through gritted teeth.

“No,” Skywalker said, crossing his arms before his chest. “Whatever you’re discussing, you can discuss it in front of me.”

Bail’s eyes boggled. He couldn’t- was that man serious? What in the revered ancestors’ names was wrong with him?

“Anakin, love,” Padmé said gently, turning towards her… husband, Bail supposed, to clasp his hands. “Bail is an honorable, and married man, and we’ll only be talking business. It’ll be boring for you anyway.”

Boring? Sure, that’s what they should call this political – pardon his Correllian – clusterfuck: boring. And married? They both should be well-versed enough in core-cultures to know just how little that meant in terms of exclusivity for someone from Alderaan.

Not that he felt anything on that level for Padmé, save maybe for finding her, objectively, aesthetically pleasing. But still. After all Bail himself had – when he had been younger and less knowledgeable of course – boldly propositioned Anakin’s _own master_ during his _wedding_ to Breha.

(He had been 21, and unable to resist the charms of the younger of the mysterious Jedi pair sent to witness the political union. To his back then abject dismay he had been gently rebuffed, and to top it all off gotten a short overview over the importance of political independence for the Jedi Order from a very smug Qui-Gon Jinn, who had seemed to revel in Bail’s squirming. At least he had been rewarded with the lovely view of one certain very red-faced padawan, whose blush had only gotten worse the more Jinn talked. After many “ _Master!_ ”s and “Must you do this _every time_ ”s, Jinn had finally shown mercy and left them alone. On the upside, the shared mortification had given them something to bond over, forming a trust that held true even now.)

“Alright,” Anakin said, interrupting Bail’s trip down memory lane. “I’ll be here waiting for when you’re finished.”

Padmé leaned up to kiss him, obviously happy with his answer, but Bail could see Skywalker’s eyes focused on him, even as he returned the affections of his oblivious wife. He didn’t know what it was about them, but it deeply unsettled him. Something dark was lurking there, something kept away by Padmé’s presence for now but there nonetheless, waiting for an excuse to be set free again.

“Bail, are you coming?” he could hear Padmé, and he hastily looked away from Skywalker.

“Of course,” he said, and set to follow Padmé out of the antechamber. Skywalker’s eyes seemed to bore into his unprotected back, and Bail had to force himself to keep walking, even as everything in him felt like he would be getting a knife from behind in the next second.

He felt a bit better when the door to the antechamber, even though logically he knew that it wouldn’t be a real hindrance for a trained Jedi Knight.

“So, is this the fraction is urging me to make my move?” Padmé said. Bail forced himself to focus back on her, and not how he suddenly felt cold even with the for humans perfectly acclimatized temperature of the suite.

“This is me wanting to hear that you’ve got a strategy for dealing with this, and half a miracle to gather back the political sway of the fraction.”

Padmé sighed. Not really the enthusiastic answer Bail had been secretly dreaming of. “I do have a strategy for the fallout, and a speech I have prepared and will be giving soon. Look Bail, I know our political momentum is hindered right now, and I am sorry. I promise you, I will-“

“No,” Bail interrupted her. “I don’t want to hear apologies right now. By the spirits, Padmé, if this turns truly bad, we are not only looking at losing all coming votes, but having to witness past votes being revised. Just… try to fix it.”

“I plan to,” Padmé said, her face set with familiar determinedness.

There was a brief stretch of silence. “Why did you marry him?” Bail finally asked.

“Because I love him,” Padmé answered.

“No, I mean why did you _marry_ him? You can love someone without writing it down for all the galaxy to see, especially if it is something the galaxy would be better off not knowing for now!”

The line of Padmé mouth thinned. “I had my reasons, Bail.”

“Those must have been some truly excellent reasons,” Bail said.

“And they are my private business, so I suggest you do not concern yourself with it!” Padmé said sharply.

“Well, sadly your reasons seem to be the cause for your business not being private any longer!”

“They are still personal problems, and not ones I will make you privy to! I’ll handle it, alright!?”

“I would be pacified, except that it really doesn’t appear as if you are handling _anything_ at the moment!”

“What is going on here!?”

Bail whirled around to see Skywalker standing in the doorway, the door nearly ripped from the hinges. His presence was like a face-full of cold water, enough to make him take a deep breath. A sliver of shame coursed through him – he hadn’t meant to start a shouting match.

“Everything’s fine Ani, it was just a minor disagreement,” Padmé said. Still, Skywalker walked over to her quickly and put his arms around her smaller form, all the while glaring at Bail.

“Maybe you should leave now,” Skywalker said over Padmé’s shoulder.

“I will look forward to your speech,” Bail said to Padmé, deciding that for now it might be best to just ignore Skywalker, “and I wish you the best of luck.”

Padmé nodded to him, and Bail all too gladly took his leave.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you liked and disliked!


End file.
